COMMUNITY FORUM

Basement Ceiling Insulation

I am about to start the process of making my basement a usable hangout for myself. My house is a 100 year old colonial in Northern NJ. There is insulation but the prior oweners added a mud room and when they ran the utilities from the basement they never sealed up the gap between the foundation and the 1st floor. This led to a mouse and rat problem that we discovered a month after moving in. They made homes in the insulation. I am going to pull it all down, but my question is, "do i need to have the ceiling insulated? what are the pros and cons to it?" And yes i have sealed up the gaps so no more mice.

Please wear a respirator and eye protection when you remove the insulation. If you had mice living in it, there is most likely fecal matter and bacteria present. You may want to have the area treated to remove any bacteria. Also, you can buy HEPA filters for Home Depot shop vacs.

If you are going to make this basement area new living space, you may want to consider a ventilation unit to circulate new air into the area and exhaust the old air. Also, if you insulate with fiberglass, the small particles of fiberglass will be in the air unless you properly seal the seams.